In the world of music, the sound of drums is a critical component in the audio mix. Percussion instruments, and drum sets, in particular, are an essential part of creating a musical beat. However, there are several limitations inherent in the use of drum sets.
The drum set itself is a complicated instrument. It is made up of many different pieces which takes time to set up and take down. It requires room to transport and is bulky and heavy to move which make transportation difficult and touring expensive. Moreover, because it is a complicated instrument, it is difficult to properly microphone and amplify.
Drums in general are large and stationary instruments. A drum set takes up a good deal of room on a stage and is generally immobile during performance. This makes it difficult for a drummer to interact with either the audience or other band members. The drummer simply cannot step to the front of the stage and interact with the audience like other band members that are playing different instruments. Moreover, a drum set and other percussion instruments such as congas, cannot be easily transported to remote locations such as beaches, camping sites, or street performance locations. This limits the locations where most drum sets and percussion instruments can be effectively used.
Moreover, percussion instruments are typically loud instruments. It is difficult, if not impossible, to play a percussion instrument in a quiet environment such as a restaurant or an apartment dwelling. Many venues, including cafes and churches, do not use drum sets or heavy percussions for this very reason. Likewise, light hand percussion instruments, such as a shaker or tambourine, cannot alone play louder venues.
Other than a drum set, most all percussion instruments provide only a few similar sounds, including tambourines, congas, and triangles. There are few, if any, percussion instruments that can provide a variety of sounds such as bass, snare, and conga like sounds from a single instrument body. What is needed is a percussion instrument that is portable, easy to set up and take down, capable of generating a diverse variety of different sounds, and easily amplified in a variety of different situations.